Breath of Fire (Series)
Breath of Fire, also known as Breath of Fire: The Dragon Warrior in Japan is the first entry in the Breath of Fire series of console role-playing games. Developed by Capcom in 1993 for the Super Famicon, it was licensed a year later by Squaresoft (now Square Enix) for release in North America. In 2001, Capcom independently re-released the game for the Game Boy Advance worldwide. Breath of Fire takes place during the waning years of a great civil war between the White Dragons and the Black Dragons. The White Dragons are dwindling, and their last hope rests in a young boy named Ryu, who sets out on an adventure to save his people. Gameplay Breath of Fire consists of four basic modes of gameplay: an overworld map, town and dungeon field maps, a battle screen, and a menu screen. The overworld is a scaled-down, simplified version of the game's fictional world, which the player uses to navigate between various locations. With a few plot-driven exceptions, enemies are randomly encountered while traveling though field maps or on the overworld. As the player commands the lead character to move, the other members of the traveling follow in a line behind him/her. The order of the group line can be changed at any time, allowing another character to take the lead. Most playable characters display a unique field skill outside of battle, which can only be accessed by placing them at the front. Some areas cannot be entered unless a certain character has joined; for example, the party cannot walk through forests unless Bo is at the head of the group. The color palette of field maps changes depending on the time of day. Whenever the traveling party appears on the overworld screen, the sun rises and sets with each passing minute of real time. Non-player characters can be found milling about inside towns at daytime, whereas they will retire to their homes at night and early morning. In certain instances, the player must wait until nightfall before they can enter a given town. The game's story develops as the player visits towns and dungeons. Townspeople offer helpful information, and some residents own item or equipment shops. Since the player's inventory space is limited, most item shops double as banks which offer to hold spare items or GP (the game's currency). Dungeons primarily appear in the form of castles, caves, and towers. Towers consist of several floors, often composed of puzzles or mazes, further complicating the party's task of reaching the top. The menu screen is where the player makes such decisions as which characters will be in the traveling party, which equipment they wield, and the configuration of the gameplay. It is also used to track experience points and levels. Fishing and hunting play a small role in Breath of Fire's gameplay. By outfitting Ryu with a rod and bait, the player can fish at designated spots on the overworld, often nabbing rare equipment in the process. Birds, wild boar, and deer randomly appear on the overworld. If Bo is leading the group, he can hunt animals by firing arrows at them. Once struck, the animal will change into an item (Meat) which can be then picked up. Certain types of meat restore Health Points (HP), while others refill Ability Points (AP). Combat During its turn-based fight sequences, Breath of Fire switches to a 3/4 isometric perspective. Up to four characters may participate in a battle, though each can be swapped out for another party member if the player so chooses. The battle screen is a detailed representation of whatever area the party is currently in, such as a desert or grassland. Although characters are miniaturized on maps, in combat their sprites are normal-sized and more realistic. A maximum of four characters may participate in battles, although each can be swapped out for another party member at any time. Each character acts in an order dependent on their individual statistics. Players are rewarded for winning battles with experience points and GP. When characters attain a certain amount of experience points, they gain a level, which increases their statistics. Each party member has the option to attack, cast a magic spell, use a restorative item, or escape the fight by running away. The party can also be placed under automatic control, causing them to attack without the player's input. The Hit Points and Ability Points of each party member is visible from a heads-up display at the bottom of the screen. The HP of enemies remains unseen, though a life bar measuring an enemy's health will appear whenever they take damage. An identical display appears during boss battles, but in this case, the life bar is misleading; the bar very often will drop to zero, only to see the boss acquire a 'second wind' and continue to attack without any visible HP. At the beginning of the game, Ryu is powerless except for his sword-fighting skill. He can awaken his innate powers by visiting small, isolated shrines on the overworld known as Dragon Temples. After accepting a challenge from the monk inside, Ryu is separated from the rest of his party and pitted in a one-on-one battle against a dragon. If he wins, Ryu earns the ability to morph into various dragons during battles. Whenever this occurs Ryu's sprite is replaced with a dragon, and the strength of his attacks increases. Each set of dragon spells represent differing stages in Ryu's power: His early transformations resemble an infant dragon, while his most powerful form (Agni) takes up the entire right-hand corner of the screen. Karn is another character who can change forms. Hidden throughout the game are four members of an ancient clan who claim to Karn's blood relatives. Each one enables Karn to change into powerful mutant creatures by "Fusing" with Bo, Ox, and Gobi. Although this removes the fused characters from the party roster, it also grants Karn a boost in HP and overall strength. Unlike Ryu, however, Karn stays in his fused state outside of battle, and will remain so until the player commands him to revert back. Story The Goddess of Desire Myria (Tyr) decided to play a morbid reality show as a apart of her plan to eliminate the Brood (Who she thought to be the “great devils of destruction” based on what triggred the destruction of the Techno-Age). She promised power and immortality to whomever could collect the (How many where they?) Keys of The Goddess. Obviously, nobody even dared to go against the Brood on a militaristic conflict, so the battle was pretty much between the Black Dragons and the Light Dragons, although the latter showed no interest in fighting (Especially since there was only a small bunch of the left against the whole Black Dragon army). The Black Dragons commence an unchallenged conquest of the whole world. Still, just in case, the Black dragon emperor Zog commanded an attack on Drogen (The Light dragon village) to capture the only remotely dangerous member of the faction: The Dragon Maiden Sara, which they did without much problem leaving Sara’s little brother Ryu quite enraged. Ryu, seeing the impotence of his faction, decides to journey to the enemy city to rescue Sara. Nobody believes much in him, but they give him his blessings anyway. The rest is for you to discover... Characters Breath of Fire features eight permanent playable characters, including Ryu, a member of the Light Dragon family whose sister has been captured by the Dark Dragons; Nina, Princess of Winlan, who joins Ryu after he helps saves her father's life; Bo, a wolfish hunter who shares a common enemy with Ryu; Karn, a crafty thief who can pick any lock and disarm any trap; Gobi, a Manillo who was expelled from his clan because he was considered to greedy even for his kind; Ox, a blacksmith who was forced to labor on a secret weapon; Bleu, an immortal sorceress with the lower body of a snake; and Mogu, a mole-like creature who is trapped inside his own nightmare as the result of a magician's spell. Re-Release Breath of Fire was ported and re-released by Capcom in Japan on July 6, in North America on December 13, and in Europe on December 14, 2001 for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It includes additional illustrated cutscenes, new character portraits, and adjustments to the game's overall difficulty. The menu icons that appear during battle sequences were replaced by a text-driven interface, similar to that of Breath of Fire II. The ability to "dash" by holding the B button was also included. As an added feature, players can utilize a link cable and swap items from their inventories. The re-release met with generally positive reviews; GameSpot and IGN both praised it for being a smooth conversion of the original game, though some have noted that the sound quality is lacking. References Breath of Fire Article at wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breath_of_Fire Storyline explanation by Seraphim Ephyom. http://agora.rpgclassics.com/showthread.php?t=19828 Category:Games